Playing Criminal

19 - Runaways

This time I came to naturally, my throat painfully parched. From the angle of the armchair across the room, I could tell that I was once again lying on the couch. It took too much effort to move so I just continued to lie there waiting for the remnants of the drug to leave, wiping away the lethargy taking over my body. Unfortunately as I lay there, though my mind cleared, my sense of pain did too.

My stomach throttled me with its sharp pangs and my cheek felt swollen against the cushion it was lying on. I was dying to move, to get water, to get Advil, to do something to try and get away from the sharp, sore and stinging sensations invading my drug haze.

Yet I was afraid that as soon as I dared to move Mr. Berkeley would come around and administer another unwelcome shot. And so I waited for what could have been hours for all I knew. It was a funny thing, not having a clock to look at. With my mind so muddled, I had no sense of time whatsoever and that scared me. What if Mr. Berkeley was planning to sneak me out soon? What if I was already too late?

As I was taken out of here my chances of escape would go from slim, to none.

The sound of the door creaking open made me jump and I moaned as fresh pain wracked my body with movement.

“Holy shit,” I heard a female voice gasp before footsteps rushed to the side of the couch.

“Are you okay?” I blearily looked up into Kate’s heavily lined eyes, and anxious expression.  

“Mmmphh,” I grumbled.  

“Okay, Okay…” She talked to herself as she nervously tapped her fingers on the side of the couch. “Let’s see...shit. Jack wasn’t kidding.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” She quipped, “Conserve your energy. Now this might hurt a bit…” Kate slid her arms under me, pushing me up into a sitting position. I gasped as pain laced my abdomen.

“Sorry!” She squealed as she continued helping me up until I was in a standing position.

“Can you walk?”

I nodded and gritted my teeth as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me out the door. Each step resounded through my midsection, making me wince as the vibrations shook apart my insides. I barely kept from screaming out at the pain.

Kate was relentless as she led me through the deserted halls to one of the dorm rooms. It was only my fear of Mr. Berkeley that kept me from crying out with each step I took, feeling as though a mallet was being continually slammed into my gut.

When we got inside the room, I was faintly surprised to find myself standing in Jack’s dorm.

“You okay?” Kate asked, pursing her lips as she wiped a stray blond hair out of her face.

“Wonderful,” I groaned as I gingerly placed a hand on my stomach, gasping even at the slight touch.